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~ 30 " ~V ~lnl :011 I
Volume 18, Number 14 lN3Wd 013 ~ Vl139 'HJll~3~ Friday, May 18, 1990
Virginia Commonwealth University
vcu to Offer Latest in Cancer
Treatment Therapies
Armed with the latest in
cancer-fighting technology,
radiation oncologists at the
Massey Cancer Center are making
steady advances to reduce the life­threatening
odds of the disease.
Recently, the latest addition to the
MCVH arsenal of cancer treatment
equipment, a dual energy linear accel­erator,
was dedicated during a cere­mony
at the Massey Cancer Center.
During the event, the Virginia Federa­tion
of Women's Clubs was also hon­ored
for its financial support to the
Department of Radiation Oncology.
"With the addition of the dual en­ergy
linear accelerator, we can offer
the most modem and sophisticated
radiation treatments for all forms of
cancer," says Dr. Rupert Schmidt­Ullrich,
chainnan of the Department of
Radiation Oncology.
A dual energy linear accelerator
gener"<ltes two types- of radiation that
attack cancer cells. High-energy X­rays
that penetrate into the human
body to eliminate tumors represent
one form of radiation produced by the
linear accelerator. The second form of
radiation concentrates its energy on or
near the skin's surface to destroy
diseased cells.
Another resource available to radia­tion
oncologists on the MCV Campus
is a device called a simulator. The
simulator maps out the area where the
tumor is located so physicians can plot
the most effective method for eliminat­ing
the cancer.
Radiation oncologists on the MCV
Campus have recently teamed the
simulator and linear accelerator with
hyperthermia, a heat treatment proc­ess
that uses microwaves and ultra­sound
to eradicate cancer cells. Ac­cording
to Schmidt-Ullrich, combining
radiation and heat treatments yields
better results than radiation alone.
Schmidt-Ullrich notes that MCVH is
the only health care facility in central
Virginia to offer both radiation and
hyperthermia treatments in the same
unit.
As research continues on the appli­cations
for radiation therapy, investiga­tors
have been encouraged by the
promising results of its use in the
treatment of breast cancer.
With tumors up to five' centimeters
in diameter, surgery and radiation
eliminate the tumor as effectively as
conventional modified radical mastec­tomy,
but without removing the
breast.
"The cosmetic results of combining
surgery with radiation therapy to treat
breast cancer are excellent. The
patient cannot even tell therapy was
done," adds Schmidt-Ullrich.
Physiologist Recognized for
Contributions to Taste
Research
Dr. John DeSimone, profes­sor
and chainnan of the Depart­ment
of Physiology was hon­ored
recently for his research to
identify how the brain recognizes the
taste of salt.
Researchers have tried for years to
understand how taste buds respond to
sodium chloride, more commonly
known as table salt. Recently, a team
of VCU researchers led by DeSimone
was the first to discover the "sodium
channel" located in the membranes of
the taste-sensitive cells of taste buds.
For this accomplishment, DeSimone
received the Frito-Lay Award for
Outstanding Research in Gustatory
Chemosensory Physiology.
According to DeSimone's research,
sodium entering the taste bud cells
triggers electrical impulses that speed
through taste nerves to the brain
where they are recognized as salt.
Investigators are now attempting to
find out if the sodium receptors can be
fooled. Inducing the receptors to fire
in response to a non-sodium substance
could lead to the development of a
sodium-free salt substitute.
"Some people are advised by their
physicians to limit their intake of
sodium to avoid high blood pressure.
Learning how the sodium channel
works under various conditions will
help researchers in their quest for a
non-sodium salt substitute, " says
DeSimone.
DeSimone notes that there are
other sodium channels inside the
human body; however the channel in
the taste bud cells is unique because
it comes in direct contact with food
and other liquid in an external
environment.
"Most of what we know today about
taste sciences is represented strongly
through Dr. DeSimone's work. His
research has helped us understand
how taste cells do the things they do, "
says Dr. Robert]. O'Connell, presi­dent
of AChemS and a reseacher at
the WorchesterFoundation for Experi­mental
Biology in Masschusetts . .
A Message from the President
To the Faculty and Staff of
Virginia Commonwealth
University:
By the time you read your
May issue of the VC U Voice, the
University will have, once
again, celebrated Commencement.
Over 3,000 students are receiving
associate's, baccalaureate, master's,
first-professional, and doctoral de­grees
in 1990, representing 11 schools
and one college and a total of 141
degree programs enrolling over 21,000
students. We will also have recognized
the achievement of VCU's first-ever
fund-raising Campaign by honoring
Campaign Chainnan Charles G. Thal­himer
and Mrs. Rhoda R. Thalhimer
with the Wayne Medal, and Campaign
Vice-Chainnan Wyatt S. Beazley III,
M. D. , William Berry, ]. Stewart Bryan
III, Wallace Stettinius, and James C.
Wheat, Jr., with the Presidential
Medallion.
For me, Commencement, and all it
signifies about the University, and the
recognition of our Campaign leaders
this year represent a fitting coda to my
tenure at VCu. Over the past 12
years I have served as your president,
it has been my distinct pleasure to
preside over a celebration that pro­vides
the opportunity to measure not
just the achievements of our students
but your accomplishments as well­you,
the University faculty and staff
who work to support our mission and
who teach, conduct research and
scholarship, and serve the public­who,
in sum, bear the responsibility
and reap the reward of carrying out
VCU's mission. And, this year, the
success of our Campaign symbolizes a
worthiness that, every year, Com­mencement
demonstrates for us ail.
I am very proud of our faculty and
staff. You, too, should take pride in
yourselves.
Your new president, Dr. Eugene P.
Trani, arrives July 2 to begin work with
people who uphold standards of pro­fessionalism
and ideals of education:
Dr. Edmund F. Ackell
our faculty and staff. Representatives
of your ranks participated in the
very critical task of choosing the
University's next leader and did so in a
climate of shared purpose. To the
chairpersons and individuals on our
presidential search steering commit­tees,
I convey my appreciation and
gratitude. Together with Mr. James B.
Farinholt, Jr., vice rector of the Board
of Visitors and chairman of the Presi­dential
Search Committee, you have
selected a new president who brings a
belief in the urban university and in the
qualities of diversity, access, and
excellence which characterize Virginia
Commonwealth University.
And, so, on the eve of this signifi­cant
transition in the life of VCU, I
would like to say how honored I have
been to serve as your president.
Working on behalf of this extraordinary
institution has been, for me, a per­sonal
and professional lifetime achieve­ment.
I leave VCU in excellent hands,
knowing that the teamwork will con­tin'ue
into what will surely be a re­markable
future for the University.
With best regards,
Edmund F Ackell
President
Inside This Issue­The
Empty Podium, page 4
A Visit to the Dentist, page 5
Book Review, page 10

VCU to Offer Latest in Cancer Treatment Therapies -- Physiologist Recognized for Contributions to Taste Research -- A Message from the President, To the Faculty and Staff of Virginia Commonwealth University -- Inside This Issue - The Empty Podium, A Visit to the Dentist -- Book Review

~ 30 " ~V ~lnl :011 I
Volume 18, Number 14 lN3Wd 013 ~ Vl139 'HJll~3~ Friday, May 18, 1990
Virginia Commonwealth University
vcu to Offer Latest in Cancer
Treatment Therapies
Armed with the latest in
cancer-fighting technology,
radiation oncologists at the
Massey Cancer Center are making
steady advances to reduce the life­threatening
odds of the disease.
Recently, the latest addition to the
MCVH arsenal of cancer treatment
equipment, a dual energy linear accel­erator,
was dedicated during a cere­mony
at the Massey Cancer Center.
During the event, the Virginia Federa­tion
of Women's Clubs was also hon­ored
for its financial support to the
Department of Radiation Oncology.
"With the addition of the dual en­ergy
linear accelerator, we can offer
the most modem and sophisticated
radiation treatments for all forms of
cancer" says Dr. Rupert Schmidt­Ullrich,
chainnan of the Department of
Radiation Oncology.
A dual energy linear accelerator
gener"